Oct. 28, 2007
Final Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK- For the first 45 minutes of Alaska's match against Northwest Nazarene, it looked like it was going to be a dream Senior Night farewell for Nanooks Jessica King and Jenna Jones.
Unfortunately, Northwest Nazarene had other things in mind. The Crusaders duplicated their feat in Anchorage from just two days before, coming back to win in four games despite losing the first set as they ran off with a 3-1 victory (23-30, 30-26, 30-19, 30-25).
The Crusaders came into the match ranked No. 3 in the GNAC, but Alaska quickly showed that they were not impressed. Though slow-starters for most of the season, the Nanooks established control early, running on adrenaline from the crowd. King smashed two kills, and Jones grabbed one of the team's five aces in the game as the Blue and Gold cruised to a 12-3 lead, eventually taking the set easily, 30-23.
The Nanooks were flying now, and practically ran back onto the court for the second game. Northwest Nazarene slowly began to show their mettle, however, and finally took their first lead early in the set. Kills were at a premium, as both defenses were proving a tough nut to crack. Two late smashes from senior Allison James, however, were enough to give the Crusaders a 30-26 win.
With momentum firmly back on their side, Northwest Nazarene ran away with third set, with the Crusaders keeping the Blue and Gold off-balance with a variety with tips and several dumps from setter James. Alaska could hit just -.040 in the game, committing 12 errors as they fell 30-19.
Northwest Nazarene quickly pulled ahead 16-6 in the fourth game as they looked to put Alaska away. Despite being in such a hole, the Patty Center crowd stayed firmly behind the Nanooks, and the team seemed to feed off of their energy, making the impossible comeback seem strangely possible. Alaska worked the fans into frenzy by cutting the lead to just four, rallying, fittingly enough, around the play of their two seniors, Jones and King. The Crusaders ultimately proved too strong, however, taking the game and the match 30-25.
"We obviously came out very dialed in, very enthused and got to a good start," said head coach Phil Shoemaker. "We were keeping them off-balance, and that is a huge key to success. Later in the match, they reversed it: they really did a good job keeping us off-balance with their off-speed shots and short serves, and we just did not adjust as well to that as they did to us."
In their final home match, seniors King and Jones produced versatile performances, doing whatever they could to help the team out. King ended the night with nine kills, two blocks and 18 digs, while Jones finished with 12 digs and two aces.
Afterwards, Shoemaker paid tribute to his two seniors. "They [Jones and King] are really solid students and citizens: they are hard workers," he said. "We have seen these two people give as much as they can. They came to practice every day, contributed in any way they could. We asked them to play a variety of roles, and they did those things for the good of the team. They have given a lot to this team."
Junior Korlyn Bolster led the Nanooks with 13 kills, finishing with a .242 hitting percentage for the match. Fellow middle hitter Erica Gage recorded eight blocks on the night, while sophomores Megan Thigpen and Jessica Hill also had 11 kills each.
For the Crusaders, sophomore Cammy Dranginis finished the night with a match-high 16 kills. Outside hitter Loni Evenson rang up a double-double, with 13 kills and 24 digs, while sophomore Lindsay Forseth also chipped in 21 digs.
Alaska has three games remaining in its 2007 season, heading out next week for a Thursday match against Western Oregon and a Saturday tilt with Saint Martin's. The Nanooks then conclude their schedule with a trip south to rival Anchorage on Nov. 10.
